Comptroller Kevin Lembo, in written testimony submitted to the state
legislature's Insurance Committee today, urged state action to protect women’s
and children's health measures ahead of a possible federal repeal of the
Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The proposed state health measures include coverage for women's preventive
health care, including prescription contraception and breast pumps, and would
protect women's ability to breastfeed or pump in places of employment.

Lembo said most of these key health care protections are already provided
under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, however
congressional Republicans have announced plans to "repeal and replace" the ACA.

"The imminent threat of ACA repeal - and the uncertainty of what any
replacement will look like - has forced Connecticut and states across the
country to act immediately to protect against a dangerous void of necessary
health care provisions," Lembo said.

"The health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby are well
recognized, so we must ensure that women have the equipment and space necessary
to supply their children with breastmilk," Lembo said. "The health care
protections included under these proposed state measures are not only necessary
to protect women's and children’s health, but are directly connected to lifetime
educational and professional opportunities for women, studies have found."

Lembo pointed to reports by the National Women’s Law Center that show birth
control access afforded under ACA has meant that many women are no longer forced
to choose between paying for birth control or other necessities, like groceries
and utilities. These health measures help provide both short-term financial
stability, but also helps to plan whether and when to have children.

Additionally, Lembo said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has
reported that women are far more likely to utilize such preventive services,
including birth control and potentially life-saving mammograms when cost-sharing
- such as deductibles, co-insurance or copayments – are eliminated.